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Icarus/Liberty 1
Liberty 1 was the name of the ANSA space vessel piloted by Colonel George Taylor, Lieutenant John Landon, Lieutenant Thomas Dodge and Lieutenant Maryann Stewart. Other names have been offered for the craft over the years as well - most notably the Icarus. Notes * The ship was designed by Bill Creber, production designer on Planet of the Apes, and Holdereed Maxy, set designer on the film. A large full-scale model as well as a four foot miniature were built (the nose-cone of the miniature was brass, unlike the full-size version which had a heavily-weathered nose-cone).[http://pota.goatley.com/magazines/scififantasy-38.pdf The Flight of the Icarus (detailed design blue-prints of the ship)], by Jim Key - 'Sci-Fi & Fantasy Models' #38 (1999) * The inspiration for the ship was the McDonnell Douglas Winged Gemini or a re-entry vehicle called the Dyno-soar. * An original maquette model ship was 12" tall and built by Constantine Moros. * The well-constructed four feet long miniature of the ship was made of sheet metal and sunk in the studio tank (a large water tank kept on all studio lots for the express purpose of using it for special effects shots) for the first shots of the crash-landing. The ship's watery demise was filmed in slow motion because naturally, being smaller, the action would appear proportionally faster to the diminutive models than to a full-sized vehicle. It is the size of the water droplets that give the scale of the miniature away, because as it sinks huge jets of foamy water surround and engulf the hapless ship. The background was painted on the water tank cyclorama backdrop - you can see very sharply the water changes color; dark green in the studio tank and a lighter green in the painted backdrop.[http://pota.goatley.com/comics/potauk095_part2.pdf SFX on the Planet of the Apes], by James Glenn - 'Planet of the Apes' UK #95 (11 August 1976) * The scenes of the interior of the spacecraft were from a studio set built on a gymbal mount so it could be rotated upwards as the sinking begins. * The full-size prop exterior of the spaceship was anchored into position with 455-gallon drums filled with cement and filmed in water over 300 feet deep at Lake Powell National Park near Page, Arizona. This was a steel hull anchored in the lake so just the upper part was above the surface. It had fairly heavy sheet steel frames spaced about 18 inches appart and was covered with two layers of thin sheet steel. Inside was only a platform for the actors so it would appear there really was an interior room. According to the blueprints they planned to have it sink and surface at the lake on command, so it needed a great deal of strength to survive the loads this would place on it. In the end this was never done but the mock up had already been built to those specs (see also Pictures from the Set). * The prop model of the ship was recycled as the space vessel that brought Brent into the future in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Though it has been suggested that the prop was used again in the pilot episode of the Planet of the Apes television series, 'Escape from Tomorrow', Behind the Planet of the Apes (documentary) this was more likely a smaller prop built for the opening sequence of Escape from the Planet of the Apes (which was intended to be the returning Liberty 1).[http://www.goingfaster.com/icarus/background.html Background Page at The Last Flight of the Icarus] Brent's ship had 'United States' painted down the front, while Taylor's ship was devoid of any markings at all. Virdon and Burke's ship had US flags on the front fins.[http://pota.goatley.com/magazines/comics-unlimited-apes-timeline.pdf A Chronology of the Planet of the Apes], by Nigel Brown - 'Comics Unlimited' (1975) * The original miniature ship was, as of 2001, resting in Bob Burns movie museum, the original ship having long since rotted away on the Fox back-lot.'Simian Scrolls #4' at Hunter's Planet of the Apes Archive * The ship was named Immigrant-One in an early Charles Eastman-written draft of the first film's script from late 1966.Charles Eastman Script at Hunter's Planet of the Apes Archive * It's name was Air Force One in a set of Topps trading cards - perhaps inspired by the description in Michael Wilson's final shooting script of the ship's interior being "about the size of the President's cabin in Air Force One".Final Shooting Script at Hunter's Planet of the Apes Archive 300px|right * The name Icarus was developed by Planet of the Apes researcher, Larry Evans, in honor of the tragic greek hero, Icarus. [http://www.goingfaster.com/icarus/background.html The Last Flight of the Icarus] The name was given semi-official status when used on a toy model, and was later used in MR Comics' Revolution on the Planet of the Apes. In light of the other suggested names for the craft, it's probably worth noting that the doomed flight of Icarus would be a very odd inspiration for the name of a spaceship. * The 'ANSA Public Service Announcement' bonus feature from the Blu-Ray Planet of the Apes Box-Set (released November 2008) included a new name: "This is the 'Liberty 1' - a winged chariot that will propel man into the greatest adventure ever conceived. Built to withstand the pressures of near-light speed travel, the Liberty represents the technological crown jewel of the ANSA fleet." Trivia * The meters onboard Taylor's ship suggest a launch date of January 14th, 1972; Taylor records his final report six months later, to the hour - July 14th 1972 on the 'Ship Time' chronometer. According to the 'Earth Time' chronometer at that point, the date on Earth is March 23rd to 27th, 2673 - 701 years, 2 months and 13 days having elapsed. This equates to a rate of approximately 1415 days passing on Earth for every 1 day aboard the craft (or about 59 days per hour). After the ship crashes, the Earth Time reads November 25th, 3978. The Ship Time isn't shown, but the corresponding reading at that rate would be approximately June 16th 1973 - a further 11 months having been spent in cryogenic hibernation; Taylor subsequently confirms that Stewart has been dead 'nearly a year'. Landon then concludes they've been away from Earth for 18 months (rather than 17 months, although he didn't see the chronometers). If they had expected to awake after exactly 18 months on the craft - July 14th 1973 - then the Earth Time should have read approx. May 16th, 4087. However, the ship entering a Hasslein Curve would presumably have had serious effects on the equipment and it's ability to accurately guage the passage of time. Taylor's final report, sent out before entering his sleep chamber, wouldn't reach Earth until about June of 3374. The 'signal to Earth' sent upon arrival couldn't be expected to arrive until at least October of 5985.Planet of the Apes Yahoo Discussion Group Appearances * Planet of the Apes * Escape from the Planet of the Apes * ANSA Public Service Announcement External Links * FAQ Page at [http://www.goingfaster.com/icarus/tableofcontents.html The Last Flight of the Icarus] References ---- Category:Items